Weekly Wardrobe 5

So for this week's "Weekly Wardrobe" we're keeping it pastel pretty. To be honest, I was really just looking for another excuse to wear the rabbit jumper - I love it! The resulting look is probably how I would describe "smart-casual", if I didn't hate that term with a passion! I felt like a Stepford wife on her way to a BBQ. Should really have taken a potato salad to work with me or something...

Jumper - VintageDreamBox at Etsy
Trousers - H&M
Necklace and Earrings - H&M
Shoes - New Look

The colour palette did, inevitably, make me stand out like a pale and sore thumb in the sea of black crows that is the Paris populace. I don't care though - as far as I'm concerned, this city could use a little Spring. Enjoy what's left of Tuesday!

Week 11: La Durée

So I may have cheated a little this week and instead of taking you all to a monument I decided to go and just drink tea instead. That said, I have honoured last week’s promise to take you back to the beautiful, sophisticated version of Paris that we all know and love.

This week joy of a roommate and I decided to go to the home of the iconic French macaroon: La Durée. Macaroons are little almond biscuits which were brought over to France from Italy by Catherine de Medici in the 16^th century and have been famously French ever since! They come in every colour and flavour under the sun and are notoriously expensive and difficult to make (trust me, I’ve tried).

Earrings and Necklace - H&M

In 1862, miller, writer and social reform  supporter Louis-Ernest La Durée founded a bakery on Rue Royale which sold, amongst other things, macaroons. Being burnt down in 1871 turned out to be a good thing when Monsieur La Durée’s brilliant wife suggested they open the new bakery with an attached tea room. This was both innovative and inspired since women were not allowed in cafes at that time, and relished the freedom the tea room afforded them.

Hairband - Present from a Friend

Shoes - Vintage Louboutin, Rokit London

Silk scarf worn as Belt - Present

La Durée really hit the big time, however, in 1930, when Pierre Desfontaines (Louis-Ernest’s second cousin) decided to stick two of the macaroon shells together with ganache, thus creating the famous “double-decker” macaroon. Approximately 15 000 of these babies are sold every day – and it’s easy to see why, they are delicious.

This week, in honour of both the La Durée macaroon (which are most famously mint green or pale pink) but also of the shop itself, we went pastel. The La Durée tearoom is all kinds of sweet, from the celadon green of the shop front, menus, gift bags and sugar sachets, to the pale blue, green, yellow and pink crockery, to the cherubs dressed as pastry chefs which adorn the ceilings. Fortuitously, pastel colours are also very much in for Spring-Summer 2013 (it’s almost as if I’d planned it, huh?) with saccharine hues adorning, the catwalk shows for, amongst others: Erdem, Christopher Kane, Corrie Nielsen, Antonio Marras, and Michael Van derHam. So in stark contrast to last week’s business monochrome, this week I went full-on sugar coated.

The beloved mint-green circle skirt got another outing along with this lovely new pink angora jumper from VintageDreamBox at Etsy. And, just while we’re on the subject – I would like to share with you my hilarious thing of the week: the angora rabbit.  If the continued bad weather is getting you down, or you’re just having a bad day, I would urge you to take a look at this. To me it looks like a cat, wrapped in another cat, wearing bunny ears, and I cannot look at it without giggling. Hope that cheered y’all up, RIGHT! Back to the task in hand.

Jumper - VintageDreamBox at Etsy

Angora Rabbit - NOT MY PHOTO, wikimedia.com

Skirt - Marina Retro

One other thing that you ought to know before you go to La Durée is that it is very very popular. Joy of a roommate and I toddled on over for afternoon tea on a Saturday and were in the queue for a good 20 minutes. Definitely worth it though, even despite the prices. Due to the queue, it was difficult to get many good pictures outside the shop itself so, after tea, we crossed the road to La Madeleine. See? I’m not going to deprive you of a monument this week completely. La Madeleine is a Roman Catholic Church, designed to be a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s armies, and based on the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, one of the best-preserved Roman temples. Located at Place de la Madeleine in the 8^th arrondissement, it is right next to luxury food shop Fauchon and two minutes walk away from Chanel, Dior, The Kooples and Ralph Lauren boutiques. In short – head here if you have expensive tastes!

Unfortunately there was some event going on at the church so we weren’t able to get inside and I had to content myself with swinging from the railings outside like a small child BUT, I promise that id I have time, I will make sure to head back and do this beautiful building justice. Or, alternatively, you could come check it out for yourselves and let ME know! Anyway, that’s quite enough of my nonsense for one weekend, see you soon!

Week 10: La Défense

Well, no more promotional opportunities for me this week unfortunately – but a good deal of unexpected snow! Thankfully it was all melted and gone in time for this week’s shoot which was at La Défense.

La Défense de Paris

La Défense is the city’s major business area and has been built up and re-built since 1958. Although you’re unlikely to see the Paris skyline troubled by many skyscrapers, you’ll find a good few here. Alongside the tallest buildings there is also a huge shopping centre and the largest Christmas market in Paris when December rolls around. The area got its name from the statue La Défense de Paris which was erected in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who defended Paris in the Franco-Prussian war. And that’s not the only artwork you’ll find, since La Défense also acts as an open air museum, housing around 60 statues and works of modern art including pieces by Joan Miró and Alexander Campbell. It even has a section of the Berlin Wall!

Dress (worn as top) - H&M
Skirt - Asos
Shoes - H&M
Belt - Vintage

Statue by Joan Miro

Top - Asos
Skirt - H&M
Shoes - Vanessa's Secrets
Belt - New Look

Probably the most famous statue in the area, however, is the Grande Arche. This is the enormous white cube which forms one side of the Esplanade de la Défense and completes the Axe historique – the line of monuments which stretches from the Louvre, along the Champs Élysées, through the Arc de Triomphe all the way up to La Défense. It was constructed between 1985 and 1989 and designed by two Danes: architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen and engineer Erik Reitzel. It is supposed to be a 20th-century version of the Arc de Triomphe, but one which celebrates humanity and humanitarian ideals, rather than military victories.

 

Partly to capture the business-smart-ness of the place, and partly to mimic the look of the Arche we kept things monochrome this week. Monochrome and graphic prints – because I’ve got my finger on the fashion pulse, me. This particular shoot was also inspired by Louis Vuitton’s Spring-Summer 2013 collection. Now, I’m not normally a massive LV fan, but this season’s collection is too much fun not to love – classic prints, cheery colours, 60s styling, yes please! I love how much room was left for playing about within the uniformity of it. So, to pay homage I decided to copy LV’s decision to send their catwalk models out in pairs wearing co-ordinated, but not identical, outfits. Stripes for me, houndstooth for joy of a roommate. Also went vaguely 60s with the make-up but couldn’t quite manage beehive hairdos. Turns out neither of us have enough hair.

NOT MY PHOTO -
thesmartgirlsfashionguide.com

NOT MY PHOTO
sugar-and-spice.com

It must be said that the decision to do this shoot à deux did prove problematic when trying to get pictures of us both... After a few times of trying to set the timer, balance the camera on top of an out-of-order turnstile, and then run into position whilst wearing stiletto heels (all to the great amusement of two nearby security guards) it seemed to make more sense to utilise the passers-by. No doubt they thought we were the world’s most co-ordinated – and inappropriately-dressed – tourists.

It’s a funny place, La Défense, it feels like a movie set – the shiny skyscrapers seem totally at odds with the famously nineteenth-century style of the city. Walking around the Esplanade, you could well be anywhere were it not for the Grande Arche, which has become another of Paris’s most famous monuments. In a way it is nice though, to remember that Paris is a capital city like any other – one in which people live and work, wear suits and sit in offices – rather than a mere icon from the silver screen, or another synonym for romance. It reminds you that Paris is rich and colourful and varied, and not merely “beautiful” or “historic”.

Still, fear not, if you’re lucky I might take you back to “beautiful”, “historic” Paris next week but until then, please do follow me on twitter for more exciting updates on Parisian life! Have a great week!

Weekly Wardrobe 4

I, for one, was inordinately pleased to hear that stripes are in for Spring-Summer 2013. I love stripes. I think stripes are blimmin' great. They are fun, they are striking, they are slimming, and they are classic. This skirt is another new favourite from the ever-reliable, endlessly attractive Asos and I love it (even if my boss did ask me why I'd decided to wear my curtains...) Have realised, however, that footwear must be very carefully reflected upon with this skirt because, as previously stated, I am of a...petite stature and pairing this (supposedly "midi") skirt with flat shoes makes me look as if I have no legs to speak of. 

Top - H&M
Skirt - Asos
Boots - Hobbs

You must excuse the quality of these photos. They were shot approximately 10 minutes after a chunk of snow had fallen off the awning of a shop and onto...my face, to the great hilarity of our (normally-kindly) local Tunisian greengrocer. I was feeling understandably disgruntled. Nonetheless, I was feeling so great in my stripes that I felt I ought to share it. Now please Europe, enough snow, a little Paris in the Springtime would be great...

Outandaboutfit 2

 Sunday night, Joy of a Roommate and I headed to the Electroswing night at La Bellevilloise, a brilliant bar in the city’s 20^th arrondissement. The evening was a celebration of all things swing – there was a swing dance class, a vintage clothes stall, a retro hairdresser and a live band. Needless to say, I was excited. 

The "Halle des Oliviers" where the bar/hairdressing stall was.
Complete with real olive trees!

Top - H&M
Skirt - Marina Retro
Shoes - Modatoi
Belt - Marina Retro
Earrings - Primark

Getting my hair done...

Now, swing dancing was popular between the 1920s and the 1950s, which gave us retro clothing options aplenty. However, having reasonably got into Mad Men, it seemed only fitting that we plumped for the 50s. Joy of a Roommate borrowed this lovely “Audrey” dress from the aptly named Lindy Bop, and I went with one of my new favourite items – the Marina Retro mint circle skirt.

Dress - Lindy Bop
Belt - New Look
Petticoat - Lindy Bop
Shoes - VivaLaDiva

Whatever the theme was meant to be, no one else seemed to have got the memo as the vast majority were wearing jeans...but peu importe! Much better to be overdressed than underdressed, and I think we made a dashing pair – especially when bopping our way around a crowded dancefloor.

Sunday partying may have made for a grumpy me on Monday morning, but it was more than worth it. Swing nights are apparently a common thing down this neck of the woods, so I definitely encourage you to head to La Bellevilloise if you find yourself in Paris - reasonably-priced food/drink, lovely atmosphere, great decor and I have recently discovered they do a Jazz brunch on a Sunday morning! Mind = blown. For your sake, dear readers (if there ARE any of you!) I'll check it out and report back - watch this space and happy Friday for tomorrow!